Heating device



E. REICH HEATING DEVICE July 1, 1952 2 SHEETS SHEET 1 Original FiledOct. 2, 1957 2.3 ,3 \/5 if i ZNVENTOR.

E. REICH HEATIN(' DEVICE July 1, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Original FiledOct. 2, 1937 lllll '4 JNVENTOR. ERNEST RElcH Patented July 1, 1952.

UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE Ernest Reich, Forest IHills,xN. Y.

Original application October 2, 1937, .Serial No.

166,987. Divided and this application February 27, 1947, Serial No.731,341

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the art of preparing food and, moreparticularly,to a'novel apparatus for impartin heat to food. While thepresent invention is described primarily in conjunction with thepreparation of food, yet its utility ex tends beyond that scope andmaybe applied wherever heat influence is desired to modify, alter, orvary the physical or chemical properties of substances.

The art of preparing food includes boiling, frying, gr'illing,-broiling,baking. toasting, roasting, and parboiling. In these various forms, thefood is either exposed to conducted heat, such as by boiling, frying, orgrilling, or is exposed. to radiant glow heat, such as broiling andtoasting. The distinction made between the two kinds of heat is based onwhether or not the heat is directly received from the heat source orindirectly by the interposition of a conductor.

Among the objects of this invention are the provision of an apparatusfor the-application to food under pressure of conducted .heat and ofradiant glow heat; .the provision of an apparatus for the application ofconducted and radiant glow heat by which the food is cooked and by whichdesirable coloring thereof maybe secured without diminishing the liquidcontent of the food to any appreciable extent; the provision of aheating element which, at one side, gives off conducted heat and, at itsother side, radiant glow heat; the provision of a reversible heatingelement which emits conducted and radiant glow heat and which maycooperate with another heating element, applying either conductedorradiant glow heat to the food; the provision of a food cooker whichmay apply conducted heat to one side of the food and simultaneouslyapply radiant glow heat to the opposite side of the food whereby toproduce desirable coloring of the food without substantial loss ofmoisture.

With these and other equally important objects in view, the inventioncomprises the mean described in the following specification,particularly pointed out in the claim forming a part thereof andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a cover for a skillet constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section through a skillet to which the cover is applied;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 withthe cover in reversed positionand permanently secured to the skillet;

The heat thus generated and conducted through the plate is imparted bycontact with the food, andsuch heat is designated-as "conducted heat. If.the food .is exposed to the influence of heat from :a flame or the likeacting directly on the food without the interposition of a conductor, itmay be designated as -radiant glow heat." In the preparation of food,flavor and appearance,

:in addition to the retention of the natural juice of the food, areimportant factors.

The apparatus disclosed herein may be utilized in various ways in thepreparation of food and I therefore donot wish to be limited in any wayto any particular method of cooking, all methods of utilization of theapparatus herein disclosed being regarded as coming within the normalfield of use of this apparatus. Preferably, although not necessarily,the food is subjected to pressure while iinderrtheinfluenceof bothconducted and radiant glow heat. I

Referring more in'detail to the annexed drawings, and particularly toFigs. 1 to 4, inclusive, there is shown a cover which is designated ingeneralbythenumeral I0. This comprises a-disc .Il formed'with adownwardly extending annular flange l2 adapted to encompass a skilletorother cooking utensil; While the disc in the present instance is showncircular, it is, of course, understood that any other shape orconfiguration may be selected to conform to the contour of theparticular cooking utensil. The disc is also provided with an upstandingannular flange l3 of smaller diameter than the disc ll so that, uponreversal of the cover, the flange l3 projects into a cooking utensil.

The flange I3 is provided with a plurality of lugs l5 which areapertured to receive insulating bushings [6 through which is strung aheating element orwire I1, the ends of which lead to contact terminalsl8 and I9 in a socket 20 adapted to receive a plug 2| which complementssaid socket to provide a handle 22. Diametrically opposite to the handle22 is another handle 23, whereby manipulation of the cover isfacilitated.

From the plug 2| leads a cable 24 to another plug 25, which may beinserted in the usual house socket constituting a source of electricalenergy for heating the wire I1. In Fig. 3, the cover is applied to askillet 26 equipped with a handle 27 and shown on the top plate 28 of akitchen stove where a burner 29 supplies heat to the skillet. The food.in the skillet may be subjected :to the conducted heat emitted from theskillet and 'the cover II), when in the position shown in Fig. 3, or maybe subjected to radiant glow heat from the heating element II, whenarranged in the position shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 4, the cover is slightly modified to be permanently attached tothe skillet. Instead of the handle 22, the cover is provided with atrunnion 30 which has a central bore for the, pas sage of the wires I1.The trunnion is received in a bearing 3| formed with a downwardlyextending lug 32 received in a U-shaped bracket 33 secured to theskillet handle 21 by rivets 34 or other fastening means. A pivot pin 35passes through the bracket 33 and the lug 32. It is evident that thecover may be tilted about the pin 35 and also rotated about the trunnion30 in the bearing 3| so that the heating element may be received withinthe skillet or be extraneous thereto, depending on whether conductedheat or radiant glow heat is to be supplied from the,top.- f

The modification shown in Fig. has the top heating plate I22 secured toan arm I23, pivot- ,ally secured to a bracket I24, fastened to a lowerheating plate I25. As shown, the heating plate I22 is hollow and open atthe bottom to permit radiant glow heat to emit from the heating elementI26. Ifdesired, the radiant glow heat of the upper plate may beconverted into conducted heat and, to this end, a plate I2! is providedwhich may be inserted through a slot I28 and is finally seated in agroove I29. and serves to close up the lower open end of the plate I22.3 Upon the insertion of the plate I27, heat is transmitted therethrough,so that, instead of radiant glow heat, conducted heat is emitted. Theplate I2I may be of steel, cast iron, aluminum, or copper, dependingupon the speed with .which the heat is to be emitted. In the case ofsteel or cast iron, more time is consumed with the heating up processthan when aluminurnor copper i employed. The lower plate'l25.= has aheating element I30 under. which insulation is provided to restrict theheat from conduction.

The layer of insulation may be removed and, instead, a plate, similarto. plate I 21, may beinserted, so as to cause conducted heat to be:emitted. I

The modification shown in Fig. 6 is a skillet 4 which has a cover I32 inwhich a heating element I33 is built, capable of emitting radiant glowheat. In Fig. 7, the cover I34 is drawn deep so that the heating elementI35, through the bottom of the cover, emits conducted heat and, at thesame time, the cover is capable of applying pressure on the food,arranged on the bottom or ,th'eutensil I36; Upon reversal of vthe'cover,of

course, radiant glow heat is emitted.

This application is a division of Serial No. which eventuated intoPatent No. 2,430,582, which application was a division of Serial No.165,987, which eventuated into Patent While the drawings show preferredembodi- ]ments of my .inv'ention, various changes and modifications may;be made within the scope of the appended claim. I, therefore, do notwish my'claim limited to a greater degree than is necessitated by thestate of the prior art.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

-A cooking unit comprising, in combinations skillet-shaped containerhaving a laterally ex tending handle, a cover for the containerpivotallyf connected to the handle, flanges extending upwardly anddownwardly from the cover,

supporting lugswithin the flange on one face of the coveryan electricheating unit'supported by and insulated from the lugs, current carryingleads connected to the unitand adapted to be connected to a sourceofelectric power, and a secondpivotal connection between the cover andthecontainer, said second pivotal connection being arranged at an angleto the first whereby to makepossible the pivotal turning of the cover intwo directions at substantially a right angle'to ERNEST Rinse.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: V

UNITED STAT-YES, PATENTS Number 'Name Date Re. 22,176 Russell et a1.Sept. 8, 1942 1,154,411 Kuhn etal. Sept. 21, 1915 1,179,988 Warner Apr.18, 1916 1,552,335 Mottlan Sept. 1, 1925 I 1,751,219 Searnon Man-18,1930 1 4 J'ames July 14, 1931 1,874,833 Trenner et a1. Aug. 30, 19321,966,411' Kaufmann' J Jui lo, 1934 1,969,878 'Dumas- 'Aug. 151,1934"2,055,972 Fritsche Sept: 29, 1936 Reich Mar. 16, i943

